http://archive.aweber.com/moreinyoumain"More In View" Ezine ListMon, 06 Sep 2010 14:53:07 -0400http://archive.aweber.com/moreinyoumain/27xKa/h/September_More_In_View_.htm Are You Leading Your Life, or Is Your Life Leading You? More In View The September, 2010 Ezine from More In You Life Leadership Coaching September Greetings, Life Leaders! Fall temps are just around the corner here in North America, and regardless of where you live, I'll bet some part of your brain is starting to notice that we're heading into the final months of 2010. Whether you're in going back to school mode this month or are just sensing a shift toward completion of another year, it's the perfect time to: Take stock of 2010 so far, See what still wants to be created, Find out what's standing in your way, and Rally the resources you need to kick butt and take names in the remainder of 2010! So, you courageous Life Leader you, let's take a look, shall we? Check out this month's main article, Taking Stock to Finish Strong in 2010. And before you click on to other emails, do peruse the side bar at right for some excellent offerings coming up and some juicy quotes to keep you thinking and inspired. 'Til next time, rock your September, and don't let anything or anyone stop you from Leading Your Life! Laura Laura Neff, CPCC, ACC Laura@MoreInYou.com www.MoreInYou.com p.s. Welcome, new subscribers! So glad you're here! :) Taking Stock to FINISH STRONG in 2010 If there's one thing that all Life Leaders have in common, it's that we don't stagnate. We dig in, do what we need to do to get clear, and then we move. But sometimes it can be easy to lose track of where we are versus where we wanted to be, especially in the span of 12 months. Never fear! Whether you're a super-organized, goal-oriented planning machine or a fly-by-the-seat-of-your-pants kind of Life Leader, the good news is that early September is the *perfect* time to take stock, pat yourself on the back, and, if needed, get back on your intended path. Here at this 2/3 mark in the year, there's still time to take action around what's yet to be created in 2010, and given that we do have time, we can keep our drama-lovin' fears at bay by checking in and taking action now. SO, Life Leader, grab a journal, napkin scrap, or open your word processing software in another window, and get busy with these questions. With the answers, you should have much more clarity. Once you're clear, you can take conscious, courageous action in the coming months, and by new year's eve? You'll have LOTS of solid 2010 success to celebrate! Scanning Your Year So Far: On a scale of 1-10, how would you rate your 2010 so far in terms of the forward movement you'd like to be making? Acknowledging Yourself: Make a list: What specific, tangible, visible progress have you made in your life so far this year? (Think about things like your job, physical health, relationships, finances, the spaces you inhabit, etc.) Feeling Forward: On 12/31/2010, how do you want to be able to rate this year's forward movement, and how would it feel to be able to do so? Looking Forward: Make a second list: What, specifically, do you still want to see happen in yourself and in your life by the end of 2010? Identifying Stumbling Blocks: What's getting in your way? How is fear holding you back from who you *really* want to be and what you *really* want to create in the final months of 2010? Creating Solutions: What needs to happen in order for you to hurdle those stumbling blocks? (Aka, what CAN you do?) Expanding Inner Resources: Imagine that any fear holding you back is just one member of your internal life committee...all the parts of you that live inside and make your life happen (like your organizer, your visionary, your task-master, your nurturer, etc.). What important parts of yourself must you call into play right now to get that list in #4 above completed? Expanding Outer Resources: Imagine there's an external support team just waiting to be fully tapped to help you finish strong in 2010. Who's on your ideal support team? Who can really help you complete your list in#4 above? Taking Off the Blinders: What's at risk if you don't move forward to full fruition with your 2010 dreams? Sealing the Deal: And finally, the rubber-meets-the-road question: Starting today, what do you fully commit to creating in yourself and in your life by the end of 2010? All that's left to do? Taking Courageous Action. Go! Share this email Did someone forward this to you? Subscribe here! THIS WEEK! Free Info Call Learn more about the Circles of Six small group coaching program for Midlife Women and get 7 Empowering Midlife Mindsets! Wednesday, Sept. 8, 12:00 - 12:45 EST Join Laura for this free information call outlining what happens in the small group coaching programs called Circles of Six for midlife women. And, on this call only, you'll get a bonus...Seven Empowering Midlife Mindsets! This call will be recorded. Find out more and register for the call here. Peeking Ahead: Lead Your Year in 2011 with the help of... The Lead Your Year planner The Lead Your Year workshop The Lead Your Year retreat Good stuff coming this winter to help you Lead Your Life! Stay tuned for more details! Tidbits Fer Yer Noggin Don't wait until everything is just right. It will never be perfect. There will always be challenges, obstacles, and less than perfect conditions. So what. Get started now. With each step you take, you will get stronger and stronger, more and more skilled, more and more self-confident, and more and more successful. Mark Victor Hansen You don't make progress by standing on the sidelines, whimpering and complaining. You make progress by implementing ideas. Shirley Hufsteddler Life moves pretty fast. If you don't stop and look around every once in a while, you could miss it. Ferris Beuller Cool, Random Fun Thing! I found this lovely little thought-provoking video courtesy of the fantastic Andrea Scher. Enjoy! Email Template powered by AWeber My list management system (aka AWeber) seems to be having some unsubscribe-link issues, so if you'd like to be removed from this email list, please feel free to email me at Laura@MoreInYou.com with the subject header REMOVE. Sorry for any inconvenience!Mon, 06 Sep 2010 14:53:07 -0400http://archive.aweber.com/moreinyoumain/1jU24/h/July_More_In_View_A_Summer.htm Are You Leading Your Life, or Is Your Life Leading You? More In View The July, 2010 Ezine from More In You Life Leadership Coaching Hi, Life Leaders! Happy mid-year to you! Yup, that's right. 2010 is whizzing by at breakneck speed, it seems. Are you where you want to be by now? What can you acknowledge yourself for so far this year? What's left to be and do in the remaining months of 2010? This month's ezine includes a smorgasbord of articles, blog posts, and upcoming opportunities to help you roll up your sleeves, take a deep breath, and Lead Your Life through the summer, fall and into the final months of this year. Cheers to your Life Leadership! Laura Laura Neff, CPCC, ACC Laura@MoreInYou.com www.MoreInYou.com Hey, are you a part of our Facebook community? If not, Like our page to get a once-or-so daily tidbit in your newsfeed from Life Leadership Coaching! A Summer Life Leadership Smorgasbord! This month, there's just too much good stuff to connect you with, so instead of writing one big article, I'm going to open several doorways and let you take the wheel from here, deciding which ones you'd like to go through, based on what you need for YOUR Life Leadership right now! Dig in and enjoy! CLARITY: What Do YOU Believe? The great thing about hanging around with lots of coaches is that we get front row seats to eachother's brilliant brainstorms, and that's happening right now thanks to my friend Dani Fake Webb over at Destination: Life! Dani's leading the July I Believe Challenge, a free, month-long exploration into what we each believe about 31 different topics (one topic per day). The goal is to help us balance the information we consume from OTHER people about what's right and how to live and what to do with what we each deeply, truly, uniquely believe about the subject at hand. Remember, CLARITY is one of the foundational tenants of Life Leadership, and has clarity-inducing-exercise written all OVER it! You're 100% welcome to jump in with all of us mid-stream. Check out the action on the July I Believe Facebook Group, Dani's blog and my blog for some recent posts on topics like Purpose, Anger, Body Image, Confidence, and lots more, and definitely leave some of your own thoughts, too! BALANCE: On and Off the Yoga Mat In Charlotte, NC and want/need to explore Balance in your life, both on and off the yoga mat? If so, join me and Yoga For Life owner Karen Williams as we co-lead a 2.5 hour workshop THIS SATURDAY, July 17, from 1:00 - 3:30. We'll use an exploration of Balance on your mat to explore Balance off your mat. Click here to read more and register online! CONSCIOUSNESS: Chickity-Checkin' Your Stress Thanks go out to Kris Carr (cancer and wellness warrior of CrazySexyCancer fame) for a very thought provoking video blog about how to check your stress at the door by using your younger self as inspiration. Sound weird? It's not! WATCH HERE. CHOICE: Wishing You Perspective There's something so healing about perspective and about embracing the duality of all we experience in this life. E.g., without having been off track, we wouldn't know what it feels like to be on track. Without having felt powerless, we wouldn't know what power-full feels like. Without feeling lost, we wouldn't know the moment of joy when we recognize ourselves in the mirror and in our lives once again. In the spirit of that duality, I invite you to take one minute and forty seconds to watch this video by Bob Perks called, I Wish You Enough. It's not enough in the sense of selling yourself short out of guilt, or compromising. You'll see what I mean. Enjoy the perspective! Share this email Did someone forward this to you? Subscribe here! Ladies: How Will You Lead the Second Half of Your Life? Enrollment for the September, 2010 Deeper Sense of Self Circle of Six has begun, and seats are filling! Are you a woman 35 or older who's aching to STOP, reflect, and plan? To have time and space with other thoughtful, inquisitive, inspiring women? To get clear on who you are, what you've learned, what today has to tell you, and how you will lead the second half of your life? If so, then you could be just the right woman to fill one of the seats in the next Deeper Sense of Self Circle of Six that will begin in late September. Spots are already filling up, so if you're at all curious, click here to learn more and to play with us this fall! Planning Ahead... What's that? Until you read my note at left you hadn't realized how fast this year was flying by? WELL. Worry not, Life Leader! Consider this an official seed-planting moment. There's *much* good stuff to be announced in the coming months that will help you Lead Your Life AND Lead Your 2011, so let's just decide right now that you'll be kickin' some butt the rest of this year AND have a blowout 2011, too, okay? :) Stay tuned... Tidbits Fer Yer Noggin Clarity affords focus. Thomas Leonard Be aware of wonder. Live a balanced life - learn some and think some and draw and paint and sing and dance and play and work every day some. Robert Fulghum Breath is the bridge which connects life to consciousness, which unites your body to your thoughts. Thich Nhat Hanh Be miserable, or motivate yourself. Whatever has to be done, it's always your choice. Wayne Dyer Unsubscribe If you no longer wish to receive this newsletter you can unsubscribe here. Email Template powered by AWeberWed, 14 Jul 2010 09:11:15 -0400http://archive.aweber.com/moreinyoumain/1YhjS/h/June_More_In_View_Shhhh_.htm Are You Leading Your Life, or Is Your Life Leading You? More In View The June, 2010 Ezine from More In You Life Leadership Coaching Howdy, Life Leaders! Summer heat is kickin' up here in North Carolina as June hits full stride. The garden's bursting, our two funny chickens are trying their hardest to stay cool (primarily by hanging out under our back deck), a late-July vacation is shaping up, and business is rockin' and rollin.' And like most of you, I have a continual stream of mental chatter going on about all of the above and a trillion more things. As Life Leaders, it's one of our primary jobs to keep the steady stream of mental chatter in our heads healthy and manageable instead of allowing our days to be hijacked by stressful internal mayhem. Know what I mean? I think you do! This month's More In View article is about what to do with the internal chatter so you can get on to the business of Leading Your Life. You'll also see a fabulous More In You 5-year birthday special, an opportunity to join a Circle of Six kicking off in August, and, as always, some inspiring quotes (aka, tidbits fer yer noggin). With that, do read on, and know that I'm wishing you a month of Life-Leadership-induced deep contentment and peace! Laura Laura Neff, CPCC, ACC Laura@MoreInYou.com www.MoreInYou.com p.s. Welcome, new subscribers! So glad you're here! :) Hey, are you a part of our Facebook community? If not, Like our page to get a once-or-so daily tidbit in your newsfeed from Life Leadership Coaching! Shhhh! Quieting Your Mental Mayhem Walkthedogsendthatemailwritethearticledon'tforget tocallmomwhatshouldiwearwhatwilltheybewearing wonderwhatthey'llthinkifidothatgetgroceriesiwonder iwonderwhatifwhatifclient'swaitingforthenextproject... Aaaack! What was that about Calgon?!?! Trouble is, unless we all sign up for elective lobotomies, we can't get away from our own brains. And since it's our brain's job to think, a lot, mental activity is part of this human equation. But does it always have to feel like mental mayhem, draining our precious life energy and creating/compounding stress along the way? The resounding answer from Life Leadership Centrale is NO, and as Life Leaders, we can do something about it! Recently, I conducted a (very unscientific) survey, asking folks what their best solution was to quieting mental chatter. Answers ranged (and I'll go into the major themes in a sec), but what their and my own strategies all had in common? 1. Waking Up to the Unhelpful Nature of the Chatter 2. Taking Thoughtful, Clarity-Inducing Action Wake Up! Admit it...sometimes you're run by the unrelenting demands of your mental chatter, blindly running from task to task, trying to assuage the noise, which, of course, never works. Me too. And by now, you know that effective Life Leadership is based on Choice, and being at Choice depends on being Conscious of what's going on, so you can then choose something different if needed. Deciding to apply just a touch more awareness to the extent of your mental chatter means you can not only have it, but take responsibility for it. It might sound something like this: Hey, what the hell is with all this mental chatter? This is not getting me the kind of moment/day/life I want! So that's job #1: turn up the radar! Wake up, and get more committed to the results of clarity and aligned action than you are to the overwhelm and drama of mental clutter. Take Thoughtful Action The above-mentioned survey responses ranged from getting to the stillest of still all the way to movin' and groovin.' Regardless, all of the survey respondents pointed to one thing that helped them quiet unhelpful mental chatter: Choose to act thoughtfully, breaking out of mayhem's hold by doing something that calms you and brings clarity. Notice that they didn't say, rampage through your to-do list 'til everything is done. Because guess what? As active, motivated folks, we'll always have things that we need and want to get done. We'll always have responsibilities. We'll always have to-dos. The difference is in what we do to manage our mental/emotional states throughout that busyness. Everyone has different things that work for them. You're a unique human being, so your quieting strategies might look different than mine or your neighbors or your best friend's. The point is, do something to bring clarity! And, it can't hurt to check out what's helping for others. In the spirit of sharing the love, here are some specific strategies from me and some of the kind folks who responded to my survey... (Get our specific mental-mayhem-calming-strategies here!) Share this email Did someone forward this to you? Subscribe here! Circle of Six for Midlife Women Begins August 16! Are you a woman 35 or older who's aching to hit pause? To have time and space with other thoughtful, inquisitive, inspiring women? To get clear on who you are, what you've learned, what today has to tell you, and what you're building toward in the second half of your life? If so, then click here to learn more about the Deeper Sense of Self Circle of Six that's starting on August 16! We have two spots left and would so love to have you along for the ride. It's also one of the best deals for your hard- earned money you'll find. Come play with us this fall! Happy Birthday, More In You! Woohoo! It's our birthday! As of this month, More In You is officially going into its 5th year of serving the world through Life Leadership coaching. Yaaay, us! And as a thank you to you for being such a fabulous and dedicated part of this community, we're offering a birthday special! Contact Laura about coaching within five business days (by end of day, Wednesday, June 23) and you'll get your Discovery Session for f-r-e-e-! That's a $195 savings. Don'tcha just love birthdays? If you've been toying with the idea of one-on-one coaching, jump on this birthday special! Tidbits Fer Yer Noggin I never worry about action, but only inaction. Winston Churchill Action conquers fear. Peter Nivio Zarlenga Everything you want is out there waiting for you to ask. Everything you want also wants you. But you have to take action to get it. Jules Renard To map out a course of action and follow it to an end requires courage. Ralph Waldo Emerson Unsubscribe If you no longer wish to receive this newsletter you can unsubscribe here. Email Template powered by AWeberThu, 17 Jun 2010 23:24:05 -0400http://archive.aweber.com/moreinyoumain/1f7uS/h/June_More_In_View_Shhhh_.htm Are You Leading Your Life, or Is Your Life Leading You? More In View The June, 2010 Ezine from More In You Life Leadership Coaching Howdy, Life Leaders! Summer heat is kickin' up here in North Carolina as June hits full stride. The garden's bursting, our two funny chickens are trying their hardest to stay cool (primarily by hanging out under our back deck), a late-July vacation is shaping up, and business is rockin' and rollin.' And like most of you, I have a continual stream of mental chatter going on about all of the above and a trillion more things. As Life Leaders, it's one of our primary jobs to keep the steady stream of mental chatter in our heads healthy and manageable instead of allowing our days to be hijacked by stressful internal mayhem. Know what I mean? I think you do! This month's More In View article is about what to do with the internal chatter so you can get on to the business of Leading Your Life. You'll also see a fabulous More In You 5-year birthday special, an opportunity to join a Circle of Six kicking off in August, and, as always, some inspiring quotes (aka, tidbits fer yer noggin). With that, do read on, and know that I'm wishing you a month of Life-Leadership-induced deep contentment and peace! Laura Laura Neff, CPCC, ACC Laura@MoreInYou.com www.MoreInYou.com p.s. Welcome, new subscribers! So glad you're here! :) Hey, are you a part of our Facebook community? If not, Like our page to get a once-or-so daily tidbit in your newsfeed from Life Leadership Coaching! Shhhh! Quieting Your Mental Mayhem Walkthedogsendthatemailwritethearticledon'tforget tocallmomwhatshouldiwearwhatwilltheybewearing wonderwhatthey'llthinkifidothatgetgroceriesiwonder iwonderwhatifwhatifclient'swaitingforthenextproject... Aaaack! What was that about Calgon?!?! Trouble is, unless we all sign up for elective lobotomies, we can't get away from our own brains. And since it's our brain's job to think, a lot, mental activity is part of this human equation. But does it always have to feel like mental mayhem, draining our precious life energy and creating/compounding stress along the way? The resounding answer from Life Leadership Centrale is NO, and as Life Leaders, we can do something about it! Recently, I conducted a (very unscientific) survey, asking folks what their best solution was to quieting mental chatter. Answers ranged (and I'll go into the major themes in a sec), but what their and my own strategies all had in common? 1. Waking Up to the Unhelpful Nature of the Chatter 2. Taking Thoughtful, Clarity-Inducing Action Wake Up! Admit it...sometimes you're run by the unrelenting demands of your mental chatter, blindly running from task to task, trying to assuage the noise, which, of course, never works. Me too. And by now, you know that effective Life Leadership is based on Choice, and being at Choice depends on being Conscious of what's going on, so you can then choose something different if needed. Deciding to apply just a touch more awareness to the extent of your mental chatter means you can not only have it, but take responsibility for it. It might sound something like this: Hey, what the hell is with all this mental chatter? This is not getting me the kind of moment/day/life I want! So that's job #1: turn up the radar! Wake up, and get more committed to the results of clarity and aligned action than you are to the overwhelm and drama of mental clutter. Take Thoughtful Action The above-mentioned survey responses ranged from getting to the stillest of still all the way to movin' and groovin.' Regardless, all of the survey respondents pointed to one thing that helped them quiet unhelpful mental chatter: Choose to act thoughtfully, breaking out of mayhem's hold by doing something that calms you and brings clarity. Notice that they didn't say, rampage through your to-do list 'til everything is done. Because guess what? As active, motivated folks, we'll always have things that we need and want to get done. We'll always have responsibilities. We'll always have to-dos. The difference is in what we do to manage our mental/emotional states throughout that busyness. Everyone has different things that work for them. You're a unique human being, so your quieting strategies might look different than mine or your neighbors or your best friend's. The point is, do something to bring clarity! And, it can't hurt to check out what's helping for others. In the spirit of sharing the love, here are some specific strategies from me and some of the kind folks who responded to my survey... (Get our specific mental-mayhem-calming-strategies here!) Share this email Did someone forward this to you? Subscribe here! Circle of Six for Midlife Women Begins August 16! Are you a woman 35 or older who's aching to hit pause? To have time and space with other thoughtful, inquisitive, inspiring women? To get clear on who you are, what you've learned, what today has to tell you, and what you're building toward in the second half of your life? If so, then click here to learn more about the Deeper Sense of Self Circle of Six that's starting on August 16! We have two spots left and would so love to have you along for the ride. It's also one of the best deals for your hard- earned money you'll find. Come play with us this fall! Happy Birthday, More In You! Woohoo! It's our birthday! As of this month, More In You is officially going into its 5th year of serving the world through Life Leadership coaching. Yaaay, us! And as a thank you to you for being such a fabulous and dedicated part of this community, we're offering a birthday special! Contact Laura about coaching within five business days (by end of day, Wednesday, June 23) and you'll get your Discovery Session for f-r-e-e-! That's a $195 savings. Don'tcha just love birthdays? If you've been toying with the idea of one-on-one coaching, jump on this birthday special! Tidbits Fer Yer Noggin I never worry about action, but only inaction. Winston Churchill Action conquers fear. Peter Nivio Zarlenga Everything you want is out there waiting for you to ask. Everything you want also wants you. But you have to take action to get it. Jules Renard To map out a course of action and follow it to an end requires courage. Ralph Waldo Emerson Unsubscribe If you no longer wish to receive this newsletter you can unsubscribe here. Email Template powered by AWeberThu, 17 Jun 2010 18:18:03 -0400http://archive.aweber.com/moreinyoumain/SITT/h/April_More_In_View_.htm More In View Your monthly LIFE-Letter from More In You Life Leadership Coaching www.moreinyou.com Lead Your Life this Spring and Summer! Okay, all you out there who have been telling yourself you'll get to coaching sometime soon...the time is now. Here's why: As of April 15, I will have just two spots open in my client roster for one-on-one coaching. This format provides intense learning, support and accountability to help (in the spirit of this issue) get you to a place of knowing and then confidently operating from more of your truth. And I swear, my clients will tell you I don't bite! Well, at least not much. ;) Learn more about how one-on-one coaching works here, then take a deep breath and set up an Exploratory Session! Circles of Six are forming! The first to launch in late April/early May will be a Circle around Pure Life Leadership in Action. If you want deep learning about yourself with meaningful forward motion, topped with powerful coaching and a wildly supportive, committed and intimate community, this one is for you! Download information here, and then request an initial questionnaire. It might be the best decision you'll make all year. :) Life Leadership Meets The Jungle of Life! When you're through soaking up every iota of this month's More In View, take a moment to head on over to my friend Lance Ekum's beautiful blog, The Jungle of Life. Lance interviewed me there this week with some very thought/memory-provoking and insight-mining questions. Enjoy! Tidbits Fer Yer Noggin Tell the truth, tell the truth, tell the truth. Sheryl Louise Moller Dare to know.Rick Tamlyn All truths are easy to understand once they are discovered; the point is to discover them. Galileo You never find yourself until you face the truth. Pearl Bailey . Connect With More In You Online More In You Blog Life Leadership Coaching on Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Happy April ! Oh, oh...Spring is finally springing! Spring, to me, always feels like a time of shedding all the layers. It's finally warm enough to come out and play in so many ways, leaving behind all that we've used to cover and cloak ourselves. So it seems fitting that in this issue, we dig into what's under all those layers we're so good at keeping wrapped up around ourselves...TRUTH. As you read on, whenever you get to a point that makes you ponder, just imagine me knocking on your door, smiling and asking, Hey, will you come out from under your wraps and play today? Meanwhile, may you find yourself shedding layers and stepping forth in deeply fulfilling and surprising directions this month. Happy Spring! Laura Neff, CPCC*, ACC** p.s. Hiii new subscribers! Welcome, welcome! *Certified Professional Co-Active Coach **Associate Certified Coach We need to take the time to KNOW what we are seeing and feeling. So thanks for the reminder and something else to ponder on. :-) (From a Life Leadership Now email recipient) Are you getting your Life Leadership Now Monday Morning emails? If not, sign up to start each week with a short Life Leadership nudge delivered right to your inbox. They'll help you start your week off with perspective and focus and only take about 15 second to read! Eight Seedlings of Truth I have a confession. A true confession, as it were. I have been trying to write some kind of astounding, astonishing, soul-shaking article for you about this subject of truth for almost a week. I like to be liked to a fault, but I also love to be astounding and astonishing. :) And I'm telling you, people, what's true is that this dang article just refuses to be born! I have long drafts of half-written pieces, most of which would put you to sleep in a hot second. Given that this is intended to be an inspirational read, I'd rather not do that. So a few minutes ago, I sat back and decided to get curious about what's true about this situation. When I checked inside, this is what bubbled forth: What I know to be true is: The most important thing is for me to be in touch with you in a way that will poke you awake about where you are at choice and what's possible in you and in your Life Leadership. I have lots of ideas about this topic of truth and how to explore it, none of which are flowing, coming easily, or panning out in the form of an article. When things aren't flowing, they aren't right. (There's no right way to do the wrong thing, as my Soul Mama Sue would say.) So to keep beating my head against this door labeled Astounding Article About Truth is pointless. (Also what comes up here is Einstein's definition of insanity...trying the same thing over and over and expecting a different result.) There must be something else I'm supposed to do here. And then this happened: HEY! I've got an idea! How about this month, just like all the seedlings that are popping up in our garden right now, I give you seedlings of what I've recently thought about/discovered/ seen and heard about truth? I *love* that idea! (And I hope you do, too. Because even though I said I like to be liked, I really love to be loved. :D) So here you go: Seedlings of Truth to nudge and poke your heart, soul and mind into truth-full gear. Seedling #1 THE Truth Question The most important question I know to ask about Truth in any give moment of my life is: What aspect of my truth am I willing to listen for, hear, trust, and act upon right now? Stop for a sec and ask yourself the question right now. What aspect of my truth am I willing to listen for, hear, trust and act upon right now? The degree to which we're willing to listen for, hear, trust and act upon what's deeply true to us, whether in tiny ways, huge, life-shaking ways, or any way in between, will directly correlate to our level of internal peace, fulfillment and well being. And that relates right back to the Life Leadership elements of Choice, Clarity, Consciousness and Courage. Seedling #2 Waking Up to Truth What just happened up there in the first part of this piecemeal article? That process you just read through? That was actually a real-time example of how this whole living-from-truth thing works. First, wake up to something you're wanting. (Often, this can be discovered or indicated by something you're doing that's not working, or by noticing what you're continuously avoiding, or by asking the question in #1 above.) Then stop. Check in, and ask, So, what is true here? And then get busy creating from what you discover. Say what you need to say, do what you need to do, spurred by truth. Seedling #3 The Part of Us That Knows Coach and author Martha Beck calls the core of our truth our essential self. She's made a funny but thought-provoking video blog about it here that's worth a watch. Seedling #4 Truth Does Not Always Equate to Happy Don't be fooled. While living from truth is an absolute pathway to fulfillment, it does not guarantee that you'll always be happy. In fact, think of happiness as just one room in the larger house of Fulfillment. It's possible to be sad, angry, active, resting (all of which are other rooms in that same house)...basically experiencing the full spectrum of human emotion, and still be coming from truth. In fact, when you commit to living from truth, you are guaranteed to feel much more. So, while living from truth does not always equate to happy, on the other side will always be deeper fulfillment. Read on for the final four Seedlings of Truth! Unsubsribe to this newsletter Wed, 07 Apr 2010 06:30:13 -0400http://archive.aweber.com/moreinyoumain/11iMv/h/March_More_In_View_.htm More In View Your monthly LIFE-Letter from More In You Life Leadership Coaching www.moreinyou.com New! Circles of Six Small Group Coaching Coaching now comes in more than one size and shape at More In You. Introducing: Circles of Six! Circles of Six are small coaching circles of six committed members who come together for six months to pursue individual goals within a common area of interest. They're about powerful coaching, solid accountability, deep and supportive community, and forward movement. And, they're the most cost-effective way to get rock-solid coaching and results. Learn More about the three different Circles of Six starting this Spring! Got Inspiration? March's Rock Star Guest Coach is the fabulous Elizabeth Barbour, an inspiration coach with an eye toward equipping us with what we need to get and stay inspired! On this month's call, she'll enlighten us on the ins and outs of inspiration for individuals, small business owners, or anyone navigating relationships in their lives. Click Here to join us on Wednesday, March 10, from 12:00 - 1:00 EST! Note: I am hatching a *huge* new project this year. As such, this will be the final RSGC call for the time being, but not to worry! All past calls will be available for download on my website a a resource for you. Tidbits Fer Yer Noggin Too many people overvalue what they are not and undervalue what they are. Malcom S. Forbes Once we believe in ourselves, we can risk curiosity, wonder, spontaneous delight, or any experience that reveals the human spirit.e.e. cummings One important key to success is self confidence. An important key to self confidence is preparation. Arthur Ashe Trust yourself. Create the kind of self you will be happy to live with all your life. Make the most of yourself by fanning the tiny inner sparks of possibility into flames of achievement. Golda Meier . Connect With More In You Online More In You Blog Life Leadership Coaching on Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Happy March ! Well! Last month was a big one over here, both in Laura-land and, as a result, here at More In You. First, though, thank you so much for the warm, generous, and heartfelt emails, comments and messages so many of you sent after last month's ezine. The support of community has been so important throughout this journey, and you all really outdid yourselves! I hope you also saw my follow-up blog post, sharing more about what had to happen before I was able to be that wide open in the world with a very raw wound. It's about Authenticity and this month's focus on Confidence. And second, holy COW has a dam released over here! I think everything leading up to my going public last month as well as that big step suddenly released a massive amount of creativity and energy that I didn't even know was building. It's been a BUSY last several weeks! Here's some of what you'll find in this month's jam-packed issue of More In View: Circles of Six: Small, powerful, supportive, and nicely affordable group coaching has arrived! Life Leadership Now: If you haven't signed up for these fr*ee, very short, great-for-focusing-your-week Monday morning emails, you're missing out...at least according to all the happy recipients who email me after they get theirs each week. :) March's Fr*ee Rock Star Guest Coach Call: Elizabeth Barbour is all about inspiration! Seven Keys to Growing Your Confidence: Confidence is all over Life Leadership like white (or brown) or rice. Read this month's main article to be sure you're employing all seven of these keys and growing your confidence as effectively as possible! A Huge New 2010 Project: Ten points if you find the tiny link and learn more! Hint: for the women between 35 - 55 or so, it's all about US. Again, so many thanks for being out there and being a part of my world. May the resources you find here help support you out there in your world. 'Til next time, go forth and Lead Your Life! Laura Laura Neff, CPCC*, ACC** p.s. Thank you for being here, too, new subscribers. Welcome, welcome! p.p.s. I picked the photo above for this month's issue for a few reasons: first, I love the tenacity it makes me feel...something I'm full of at the moment and wanting to continue! And second, I'm so ready for Spring and green and warmth. Seeing the background makes me happy. :) Remember: any kind of visual aid that helps you maintain focus and reminds you of what you're wanting to create and feel is called a structure, and we coaches use the heck out of 'em with our clients. What's a structure that would help you maintain focus at this point in your life? *Certified Professional Co-Active Coach **Associate Certified Coach I sooo needed this today. Thank you! (From a Life Leadership Now email recipient) Are you getting your Life Leadership Now Monday Morning emails? If not, sign up to start each week with a short Life Leadership nudge delivered right to your inbox. They'll help you start your week off with perspective and focus and only take about 15 second to read! Seven Keys to Growing Your Confidence Almost every client I've ever coached has craved more confidence, and indeed, they know their ability to truly lead their lives counts on it. They want the confidence to push past their fears and internal hurdles, the confidence to dream big and then know they can achieve those dreams, and the confidence to trust that who they are and what they think and what they ache to say and do in the world are valid and worthy. Along the way, together my clients and I have learned some critical keys to cultivating and growing confidence. It's all about where you put your focus, because what you focus on will grow! (Idea: before your read further, think about an area in your life where you could use some more confidence. As you continue on in this article, see how the following apply!) To build your confidence, steer your attention to these places: What You Want: Anyone learning whitewater kayaking learns one key tenant quickly: look where you want to go, not where you don't want to go. Because guess what's going to happen if you stare at that big rock in the river and keep thinking, I don't want to hit that rock! I don't want to hit that rock! Yup. Bam! And it's the same in life! To grow your confidence, don't waste time focusing on what might happen or the what ifs of potential failure, because those things have a certain energy that's about stuckness and insecurity. Look where you want to go. What's True Now: Whatever you're wanting for your future has its seeds in today, and seeing what's true NOW is one of the best ways I know of to build confidence. Here's an example: An all-time favorite client returned for some coaching last year as he entered into a new and significant relationship. He wanted so much to show up differently in this relationship, wanting to feel confident in being all of himself instead of only presenting what he thought the other person would approve of. One day, his confidence in this was particularly shaky, and I realized he was missing a very important element: some of what he was envisioning for himself in the future of this relationship was happening right now, but he couldn't see it. At the top of our call, he'd shared an example of how he'd dared to be authentic, and it had gone really well! And many such examples had been shared in our sessions. So his new affirmation became, I can do this because I am doing this. Confidence galore! Keep your eye on where you're headed, but also keep your sights on what's true now. (Get the last five keys here!) Unsubsribe to this newsletter Fri, 05 Mar 2010 12:25:04 -0500http://archive.aweber.com/moreinyoumain/23EGX/h/February_More_In_View_.htm More In View Your monthly LIFE-Letter from More In You Life Leadership Coaching www.moreinyou.com Register Now February's Rock Star Guest Coach Call With Relationship Rock Stars Kevin and Joy Decker of Healthy, Wealthy and Hot! Mark your calendar for Wednesday, February 10, from 12:00 - 1:00 EST, and bring your sweetie! Kevin and Joy Decker are passionate about creating relationships that are Healthy, Wealthy, and Hot, so how could they not be our February Rock Star Guest Coaches? Register now and learn how to help your relationship rock! Tidbits Fer Yer Noggin I believe in leading by example. I believe in the power and strength inherent in a new definition of vulnerability. I believe in the ability of authenticity and transparency to bring people together in compassionate, empowered community. I believe that you and I both need more of all of this, and so, I believe it is time to take this party to a whole new level. Laura Neff The last of the human freedoms is to choose one's attitude in any given set of circumstances.Viktor Frankl All who wander are not lost. J.R.R. Tolkien No heartbreak is too big to stop the sun from rising. Cassandra Rae . Connect With More In You Online More In You Blog Life Leadership Coaching on Facebook Twitter LinkedIn February Greetings ! Those of you who have been around a while know that it's been a little while since I last emailed...since late December, to be exact. My apologies! And my commitment that this is the last time in 2010 that I'll need to apologize for such a lapse. This month, we dive into a whole new level of leadership and coaching here at More In You. Starting now, I am investing more in you, dear reader, by sharing more of me. You see, I've gotten lots of flattering feedback in the past year that, from the outside looking in, things appear to be rockin' and rollin' with me and my practice. And, in truth, they are! And, in truth, there's also some massive life stuff rocking me to my core. I know I'm not alone in this. We all get brought to our knees on occasion. And it's in times like these that we have a vital choice: to let circumstances lull our Life Leadership into a thick Ambien slumber, or to commit to being awake for every ounce of the ride, feeling and growing from every bump and unexpected curve in the road. I am committed to being awake and to letting you see more of my life behind the curtain for the sake of taking our learning together to a much deeper level. I am so grateful that you are sharing this journey with me, that you know the value of Life Leadership. Take a deep breath...we're diving in! Laura Laura Neff, CPCC*, ACC** p.s. Thank you for being here, new subscribers. Welcome, welcome! p.p.s. The article below shares a very personal aspect of my life today and how I'm orienting my Life Leadership amidst heartbreak. While I appreciate notes of support, please refrain from emailing any opinions or ideas about the specific subject discussed. My husband and I are aware of our options and are feeling our way forward, making choices based on our deep knowing about what's right for our life. Thanks! *Certified Professional Co-Active Coach **Associate Certified Coach Open-Heart Surgery: Six Life Leadership Lessons Discovered in the Midst of Heartbreak When heartbreak brings us to our knees in the middle of our bustling lives, how are we to continue leading on? After all, there's no heartbreak survival manual tucked into our bassinets at birth by some cosmic, knowing hand. There's no chapter to turn to titled, What To Do When You Heart is Torn, followed by eight succinct and easy steps that promise to lead us out of the mire and into mirth. Despite having lived several decades, we find we still don't always have the ready answers needed to put the pieces of ourselves, our dreams, and our lives back together. (Remember when we were kids, how grown-ups seemed to know how to do just about everything, without question?) And although we might try, we eventually find that neither excessive busyness nor alcohol, drugs, food, sex, mindless channel or web surfing can protect us forever from the ache of our own wayward souls when hearts have been crushed from the various vagaries of life, relationships, and circumstance. I'm coming to the firm conclusion that if we are choosing to live awake lives (a key ingredient to Life Leadership), then it's an absolutely inescapable part of our individual work, a part of our required learning and growth, to find our own way back to our selves when we our hearts are broken. It's our job, when needed, to be willing to make the slow, plodding, sorrow-full, occasionally joy-full, but always rich journey back to ourselves, squinting in the semi-darkness, feeling our way forward, trusting that step by step we're coming closer to a place on the path ahead that's well lit and warmer, where our hearts, though scarred, beat with strength and sureness again. I'm in the throes of such a time. In the midst of a life that is, for all intents and purposes, jam packed with love and abundance and highly fulfilling work, a life that I've consciously created to reflect more and more of me every day, I am also absolutely, crushingly, knee-bucklingly broken hearted. And I hesitate to even write the words, because they confirm what is so hard to be with right now...(read more) Unsubsribe to this newsletter Mon, 01 Feb 2010 16:11:32 -0500http://archive.aweber.com/moreinyoumain/1VTg./h/Late_December_More_In_View_.htm More In View Your monthly LIFE-Letter from More In You Life Leadership Coaching www.moreinyou.com It's Almost 2010. Got Focus? Not yet, you say? Great news, then! 20/20 in 2010 is a robust, self-paced, online course available only through January 31. It's designed to help you move into the new year with well fleshed-out Areas of Focus identified through a process of looking back on the year that's just passed (Hindsight), taking stock of life as it is today (Insight), and dreaming forward into the year that awaits (Foresight), using video, audio, and downloadable .pdfs. Click here to get your 20/20 vision for 2010! And if you'd like a chance to win 20/20 in 2010, simply complete a very short Life Leadership / More In You survey, and you'll be entered into a drawing to win this fabulous e-course! The winner will be announced via email on Friday, January 8. Click here to take the survey! Save the Date for January's Rock Star Guest Coach call with... The Rock Star Coach, Lisa Dalton! No kidding! Lisa Dalton promises her clients that they'll find the backstage pass to the life they want through her Inner Rock Star Coaching. How could we not kick off the 2010 Rock Star Guest Coach series with anyone else?! Mark your calendar for Wednesday, January 13 from 12:00 - 1:00 EST. Sign Up Here! Note: All calls are recorded. If you're registered for the call, you will receive a downloadable mp3 file in the weeks afterward! Tidbits Fer Yer Noggin I am learning to live beyond fear by living through it, and in the process learning to turn fury at my own limitations into some more creative energy. I realize that if I wait until I am no longer afraid to act, write, speak, be, I'll be sending messages on a ouija board, cryptic complaints from the other side. When I dare to be powerful, to use my strength in the service of my vision, then it becomes less important whether or not I am unafraid. Audre Lorde, from The Cancer Journals Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It's not just in some of us; it's in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others. Marianne Williamson . Connect With More In You Online! More In You Blog Life Leadership Coaching on Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Happy Almost New Year ! Okay, so technically I'm on vacation. (Bad coach! Bad coach! This is definitely a do as I say, not as I do kind of moment.) :) BUT, I was struck so much by my annual viewing of It's A Wonderful Life that I had to sit down and write. And as we all teeter on the cusp of a whole new year, I have to send that writing to you! So, plain and simple, read on. It's a little longer than my usual articles, but I hope you'll find it worth the extra few moments. Okay, now I can get back to lolling around eating organic, sugar-free, dairy-free bon bons (as if such a thing existed!), anticipating creating incredible things with and for you in the new year! Laura Laura Neff, CPCC*, ACC** p.s. Welcome to all new subscribers! I am so glad to have you here as we enter 2010 together! *Certified Professional Co-Active Coach **Associate Certified Coach Do you ever wonder what it's all for...this life? Many of us coaches traffic in the realm of purpose, the core of what it's all for on a very, very personal level. Purpose gets at not just what it's all for, but what *you're* all for...why all your specific molecules and misty soul bits cohered into making YOU here on this very planet at this very time in this very place with these very people. Purpose locks your eyes in a laser focus and asks, Why? Why are you here? And what are you going to do about it? Every holiday season, I watch It's a Wonderful Life, and it never, ever fails to bring those questions front and center in my mind, especially as I watch George dash around, increasingly frantic, harried and stunned as he witnesses what his corner of the world would be like if he'd never been born. His home and town are run down and bawdy. The people he knows, loves and has helped are desperate, withered, angry and full of cynicism, or they've never been born, or have died too young. He has absolutely no idea, until those moments, the breadth and depth his life has had, all while he was making other plans. Is he really any different than most of us? When I begin with a new clients, they always get a fairly lengthy questionnaire to fill out, one that's full of nothing but open-ended questions designed to dig into their lives and beings and stir their pots 'til they're frothy. One of those questions, right smack in the middle, very specifically asks: What's your life purpose? What are you here to give to the world that won't exist if you don't? I even reference the movie, parenthetically encouraging my new clients to, Think 'It's a Wonderful Life!' And 95% of the time? That particular question is either left blank or completed with a lightly and hurriedly scrawled, I don't know! It can tell it freaks most people out. Not knowing, by the way, is perfectly okay for the moment. But it's a curious thing to me why so many of us don't know, and why that question is so freaking scary to be with. The question of purpose is BIG, perhaps one of the hugest we'll each ever grapple with in our lives. And yet we haven't been taught to be with it, to feel into it, to trust our inklings. When we were young, very few of us heard the message, You've got big things to do and be here, kid, and you know what? You were made perfectly for'em! You're wildly capable, so don't forget that! Nope. We heard lots of other things, many of them helpful to be sure, but no one taught us to know that we can not only know but live into our individual purposes, and that actually, we must if we are to ever fully be ourselves. And isn't that what we all ache for, truly? Just the permission and peace of truly being ourselves without fear, apology, the need to hide or put up walls? So what stops us? I often hear and have personally experienced two primary fears around purpose. One is a fear around destruction of life as we know it. It fosters this kind of thinking: If I finally understand my purpose, then I'll have to live up to it, live into it. And what if living into it shakes life as I know it apart? What if everything has to change for me to live into my purpose? So there's a fear of letting go, of releasing, and of trusting that living into purpose will ultimately be the best thing for us. Before I finally leaned into building a life around my purpose, I was holding so tightly to work, a relationship, a living situation and a social group that plain and simple did not reflect on the outside who I was growing more and more to be on the inside. But they were what I knew, and they represented security. So I held on and held on until the pain of that mis-alignment got too great, and then I slowly started letting go, piece by piece, of all those things that didn't fit, hoping and trusting that what was waiting on the other side had to be good, had to be better, because it would mean I was being ME. And it was! IT WAS! And I've seen that come true for so many clients since, confirming that although it's not always easy, it is always fulfilling to RSVP yes to Purpose's invitation. We're also afraid of the hugeness of our potential, and this is something I still work with myself. Really tapping into the pulse of our purpose means living into our bigness, what we're capable of when we stop distracting ourselves with endless entertainment, when we stop stuffing ourselves with stuff, and when we stop focusing on all the minutia that doesn't matter as much as things like people and wellness and equity and peace and whatever else you most value. Purpose packs power, there's no doubt about it, and contemplating that power in us can be terrifying. We're taught by media and so much else that we're not enough just as we are, that we can't do X before we get Y, that we're not ready, that we don't know. Which is very often a load of horsepoo. So, lots of big words and lofty thoughts there in the above paragraphs. And you might be wondering, Okay, so what's her purpose? Well, confession time: I don't have it nailed down in one, crisp sentence! But what I do know so far is this: First and foremost I'm here to let you know that our shared purpose is to simply yet profoundly and courageously unfold into our authentic, beautiful, unique human selves and to live from that place. That's all. Just that. I'm here to help light the way back to your path, to affirm your growing belief that you must step off the paths that everyone else wants you to walk so that you can courageously and consciously walk the one that's always been waiting just for you, and so that you can breathe in the relief and fullness that comes with finally slipping off all those false layers and being in your very own skin again. I'm here to guide, teach, listen, and learn. I'm here to be in this big soup with you, and to sometimes pop out of it to tell you what I see of its ingredients, and to draw out your knowing of what it needs, and to remind myself and you that we are such capable, capable culinary wizards of our lives. I'm here to be my messy, human self. I'm here to learn from that and to share that so you can see that it's all okay and that when we're all here together as the messy, flawed, glorious, work-in-progress human beings that we are, we tap into something common and connected. We love more easily, more readily. We forgive one another for our humanness. We truly see one another. We are more vulnerable together, and in that, we become stronger together. And I'm here to nurture my little corner of the planet, to care for the funny, awesome little animals in my life, to love my husband, friends and family as well as I can, and to walk gently on the planet, knowing that it is so bruised already. So, I don't have my purpose culled down into one sparkling sentence, and I'm mixing metaphors a bit still, but I do know some of the heart of it, and I keep feeling into it day by day, week by week. And you can count on me to continue to live more fully into it this year, stretching what I know further and, over time, getting more clear, more courageous, more conscious. You can count on me to share that with you, every step of the way. It's almost a whole new year. We're all sitting on the same fence, able to look back on the year that's just passed, able to feel forward to the year that's ahead. As you ponder what 2010 will bring, what you will create, and who you will be in this new year, dare to dream into that question of YOUR purpose. Dare to believe that yes, you are here for something, for lots of somethings, and that your only job is to just live fully into who you really are. Listen to your gut. Trust your knowing. Act on it. Know that you can handle the results of that, and then do that over, and over, and over, and over, and over...and when you falter? Just peek over your shoulder. I'll be there, smiling and prodding you onward. Unsubsribe to this newsletter Mon, 28 Dec 2009 12:48:46 -0500http://archive.aweber.com/moreinyoumain/TwZA/h/December_More_In_View_.htm More In View Your monthly LIFE-Letter from More In You Life Leadership Coaching www.moreinyou.com Want a chance to **win** 20/20 in 2010? I would, too, if I were you! For a chance to win, simply complete a very short Life Leadership / More In You survey, and you'll be entered into a drawing to win this fabulous e-course! The winner will be announced via email on Friday, January 8. Click here to take the survey! Save the Date for January's Rock Star Guest Coach call with... The Rock Star Coach, Lisa Dalton! No kidding! Lisa Dalton promises her clients that they'll find the backstage pass to the life they want through her Inner Rock Star Coaching. How could we not kick off the 2010 Rock Star Guest Coach series with anyone else?! Mark your calendar for Wednesday, January 13 from 12:00 - 1:00 EST. Sign Up Here! Note: All calls are recorded. If you're registered for the call, you will receive a downloadable mp3 file in the weeks afterward! Give The Gift of LIFE! In this season of giving, please consider a donation to the Susan G. Komen foundation, and in return you'll receive an e-book called Blog-4-Cause, compiled by my friend Lance Ekum over at The Jungle of Life. Blog-4-Cause includes 150 inspiring blog entries from bloggers all over the world and is an excellent, motivational read! Simply go to this site and make a minimum $5 donation, and thanks so much for your support. Tidbits Fer Yer Noggin Have the courage to say no. Have the courage to face the truth. Do the right thing because it is right. These are the magic keys to living your life with integrity. W. Clement Stone Honesty and transparency make you vulnerable. Be honest and transparent anyway. Mother Theresa What is true is invisible to the eye. It is only with the heart that one can see clearly. Antoine de Saint-Exupery Do you seek the truth? There is nothing worthy of being followed except your own heart; no one to teach you except life's experiences; and no one for you to lead except yourself. Earon Davis . Connect With More In You Online! More In You Blog Life Leadership Coaching on Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Happy Holidays ! BRRR! As I write this, my husband Robert is busy building a fire in our new little woodstove, and I'm covered in multiple layers of warm clothes. You'd never know I grew up in Western NY state, given how thin my blood is these days, but what they say holds true: cold hands (and feet, and nose), warm heart! I hope you're staying toasty warm wherever you are on this frosty globe of ours. (Okay, I know the whole globe isn't frosty, but it feels like it MUST be!) Despite the cold, though, this very season is one of my favorites of the year. Not because of all the tinsel and twinkly lights, but because we're in this magical threshold between one year and the next. We're not where we've been, but we're also not where we're headed yet. There's so much to learn from what's been, so much to dream of for what could be, and so much potential! So, read on for a *very, very* cool e-course offering that invites you to take full advantage of this magical threshold with a *bonus!* time-sensitive subscriber special. (My first real e-course! I'm like a proud e-course mama!) You'll also find an article about letting it all hang out this holiday season, something I'm working hard on in my own Life Leadership and that I hope offers you insights and guidance as well. In grateful leadership and with wishes for a beautiful season, Laura Laura Neff, CPCC*, ACC** p.s. Welcome, welcome, welcome to all of my lovely new subscribers! I am so glad to have you here! *Certified Professional Co-Active Coach **Associate Certified Coach IT'S HERE! IT'S HERE! YOUR E-COURSE FOR THE NEW YEAR! And it's being offered to subscribers only for a *very* special price of just $20.20 until 12:00 noon EST on Monday, December 14, when it will be unleashed on the unsuspecting public for $35! If you happened to drive by Life Leadership Centrale in the past few weeks, you'd likely have noticed steam pouring out every crack and crevice in the building. I've been so hard at work, developing 20/20 in 2010: Envisioning Your Year with Hindsight, Insight and Foresight, and it's DONE! 20/20 in 2010 is: A robust, self-paced, online course... Designed to help you move into the new year with well fleshed-out Areas of Focus identified through a process of... Looking back on the year that's just passed (Hindsight)... Taking stock of life as it is today (Insight), and... Dreaming forward into the year that awaits (Foresight). It's chock full of video instruction, downloadable audio components, and .pdf-based worksheets and activities, and it will help you enter the new year with clarity, insight and focus. And there are two totally awesome special coaching offers at the end! So, what on earth are you waiting for? Click here to see a few more details and nab this puppy for the ridiculously low, just-'cause-you're-an-awesome-subscriber price of $20.20 until 12:00 noon EST on Monday, January 14! Letting It All Hang Out... Up until now, I have always avoided confrontation like the plague. Somehow, somewhere along the way, when I was really young, I picked up the idea that anything but peppy cheer and everyone adoring me was the only option, and if that wasn't happening, well, then, clearly I was going to be left out on the curb, alone forever, picking cold and shriveled McDonald's french fries out of dumpsters for dinner and being disregarded by everyone. Thank god for time, perspective, excellent leadership training, and friends who called the real (albeit terrified) me out from behind my happy-go-lucky, everything's-fine facade! Over the past four+ years, I've embarked upon a journey of step by step, scary-but-courageous unfolding...of allowing people in my life to know how I really feel, to see what's really going on inside and who I really am. I know, I know, I'm doing it again...I write all that as if it were 100% true already, like I'm all enlightened and good at it. But the truth? The truth is that it's a big, honkin' work in progress, and I'm a work in progress, too. Sometimes I forget to even be conscious of what I'm feeling, much less show that to others. And often my long-ingrained habits of retreating into myself win out over my desire to take a deep breath, feel into the moment, tap into my courage and connect with the person in front of me from that very real, much more vulnerable place. But recently? I've had some wins. I've taken real risk in two important relationships in my life, expressing anger and hurt in what felt (at least to me!) like a healthy way. It was *so* scary...all my old fears of the McDonald french fry dinners and cold curbs were beating their war drums all about my head. And as if it wasn't already bad, after all, it's the holidays! We're not supposed to ruffle feathers, stir up the waters, or rock the proverbial boat in December! You know what, though? Over time, I've gotten in touch with a deeper desire, something that's stronger than even those war drums and worries and seasonal litanies: the desire to rest in what's true and to trust it, versus wasting so much time and energy trying to control every relationship so that everyone's happy and I'm not left alone at the end of the day. I'm really happy (and so relieved) to say that in both relationships where I recently stepped out on what felt like a teensy, tinesy, oh-so-breakable limb to express my real feelings, I am being met with a willingness to come back to the friendship table, open, curious, and ready to reach a true and respectful understanding. There's such relief and joy in that, and a glad knowing that contrary to what my war-drum-beating-worries would have me believe, relationships can actually grow through authentic connection and yes, even authentic confrontation. PHEW! So, your Life Leadership challenge for December? It's simply this: give yourself, and those around you, the gift of You. ;) Unsubsribe to this newsletter Fri, 11 Dec 2009 23:19:08 -0500http://archive.aweber.com/moreinyoumain/221co/h/November_More_In_View_.htm More In View Your monthly LIFE-Letter from More In You Life Leadership Coaching www.moreinyou.com This Wednesday! Susan Liddy, women's empowerment coach, is the next Rock Star Guest Coach! Join Laura and Susan for a fr*ee info and exercise-packed hour on Wednesday, November 11 from 12:00 - 1:00 p.m. Learn more about these calls and register here, even if you can't be on the call live. Note: you MUST be registered before each call in order to get the call-in information and recording afterwards. More In You in Blog-4-Cause E-book! During Breast Cancer Awareness Month in October, my buddy Lance Ekum over at Jungle of Life teamed up with a friend to create a very inspiring e-book called Blog-4-Cause. This book is CHOCK FULL of 150 best blog entries, and guess whose entry made page 22? To get this fabulous e-book as well (as a bonus e-book!), simply go to this site and make at least a $5 donation to the Susan G. Komen foundation. That's it! Thanks for your support! What You DO Know Wanting to bust out of your shackles but don't know how? Shake out the cobwebs in your head by heading on over to my recent guest blog post on coach Michelle Ward's When I Grow Up blog! Tidbits Fer Yer Noggin Follow your bliss...If you follow your bliss, doors will open for you that wouldn't have opened for anyone else. Joseph Campbell People say that what we're seeking is a meaning for life. I don't think that's what we're really seeking. I think that what we're seeking is an experience of being alive, so that we actually feel the rapture of being alive. Joseph Campbell . Find More In You Online! Laura's Facebook Profile Life Leadership Coaching Fan Page Twitter LinkedIn Happy November , I've got so much great stuff to share with you--yes, YOU!--this month! One thing I'm noticing is how deeply, intricately and intrinsically connected the web of my community feels lately. In this month's issue, you'll find three ways to benefit from those connections! (See sidebar.) Note that the first one happens THIS WEDNESDAY! And be sure to read through this month's main article, Bliss Your Follow. It feels rather daring to take such liberties with Joseph Campbell's work, but somehow I think he'd actually give this one a thumbs up. :) Here in the U.S., we're starting to look forward to Thanksgiving, our holiday of gratitude. Wherever you are in the world, know that I continue to be *so* grateful for you and all the richness your presence here brings to my life and to this work I'm up to creating and spreading in the world. There's more in ME because of YOU. Thank you for being a part of it all! In grateful leadership, Laura Laura Neff, CPCC*, ACC** p.s. A huge welcome to all new subscribers...it's fantastic to have you here! p.p.s. Keep your eye out in the coming weeks for scoop from moi on extremely cool end of year/beginning of the year offerings, subscriber-only specials, etc. LOTS of good stuff cookin' for 2010 at Life Leadership Centrale! *Certified Professional Co-Active Coach **Associate Certified Coach Bliss Your Follow! Bliss. Aaaaahh, bliss! Even in just typing the word, it feels as if there should be little white doves fluttering about with light blue ribbons trailing from their beaks, angelic harp music lilting in the air along with them. It makes me wish I could nap on puffy white clouds and float off into the ethers, away from all that causes tension and stress and tightness in my body and mind. Bliss. Yeaaaah. Gimme some of that! Among the myriad things famous mythologist Joseph Campbell left behind, the quote follow your bliss is perhaps one of the best known. It's prompted mugs and magnets, bumper stickers and blogs devoted to the whole subject of bliss. But somehow, along the way, I think we've mis-interpreted the message. When we fixate on the idea of getting to bliss, I think we're missing his point. See, Campbell is also famous for another quote, which is actually my personal fave: People say that what we're seeking is a meaning for life. I don't think that's what we're really seeking. I think that what we're seeking is an experience of being alive, so that we actually feel the rapture of being alive. Campbell was all about the experience of being alive...of feeling and rapture and exploration and consciousness. And that, my dear reader, is all about the journey. The process. Creation. It's actually not, I dare say, about the destination. So, what we're all up to here in this life is actually not about arriving at a state of bliss. We've tended to focus on bliss as if it's the carrot luring us along down our path, but in so doing, we're missing the entire point, and that is found when we flip that quote entirely on its head: Bliss Your Follow! What if, instead of focusing on ending up at bliss, the whole point was to make the following part of your unique path as blissful as you can possibly make it? What if we get to have our visions and dreams and goals but not forsake the journey in the process of getting there? This is antithetical to all our parents' generations may have wanted to teach us about the concept of work hard and then retire. Delayed gratification is an ingrained philosophy that's to blame for many an unfulfilled soul. But one thing I know for sure is that there are no guarantees. No one can promise that if you forestall joy, you'll be happier after you work yourself into the ground in a job that sucks your spirit dry. No one can tell you that if you just stick it out a little longer, that relationship you've been trying to force into something great will finally complete you (Jerry McGuire notwithstanding!). No one can even assure you that when you make more money, life will be easier or more peaceful. No one can promise that if you chase bliss, you'll ever feel blissful. So, I propose a bliss revolution! Let's all make sure our journeys in this life are as blissful as we can possibly make them. In the words of Campbell, let's dare to make sure that our lives are full of the rapture of being alive! Here are some questions and ideas to help you effectively bliss your follow, and in so doing, create more bliss than you could ever chase down! First, what is bliss, to you? Do you believe it's possible to create a little bit of bliss every day? --> Idea: If not, I invite you to decide right now that it IS possible. Life Leadership is about being fully at choice, remember? :) If you were to do one small thing right this very minute--really, right NOW--to increase your feeling of bliss, what would it be? --> Ideas: get yourself some water or a snack. Stop and take three deep breaths. Get up and go outside; walk around the block and soak up the outdoors. If you were to plan one small thing to make sure you've got a little bit of bliss in your life tomorrow, what would it be? --> Ideas: Indulge at your favorite coffee or tea joint, sign up for Notes from the Universe at TUT.com, carve out five minutes of solitude in the morning to think about what you're grateful for. Who do you know that's good at creating bliss along the way? --> Idea: In the next week, get in touch with this person. Interview him or her...find out how s/he does it, and commit to leaving the conversation w/ 2-3 things you can implement in your days pronto! Whatever you do, please, don't forestall joy. Don't chase bliss and lose sight of how blissful your journey can be. Remember that creating bliss can be easy, and know that you are totally, totally capable. Bliss on! Unsubsribe to this newsletter Mon, 09 Nov 2009 20:14:55 -0500